The Biden administration is wasting no time making use of a new conservation rule for the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska. It’s asking for public comment on whether to add acreage to the “special areas” of the reserve, where oil and gas development is restricted.
The reserve is a tract of federal land in the Western Arctic that’s the size of Indiana. About half of it is in special areas, designated as valuable for migratory birds, caribou and marine mammals that use it, and for subsistence hunting.
The government finalized a rule in April that calls for maximum protection of resources in these areas. The rule also says the government can review the designations and consider changing their borders or adding new special areas.
The Bureau of Land Management’s announcement Friday of a 60-day comment period is the first step toward toward possibly expanding the special areas or adding more restrictions.
Despite its name, which reflects the federal government’s original interest in the land, the petroleum reserve is a key battleground for environmental groups and for advocates of the oil industry. It is the site of oilfields ConocoPhillips is developing as part of its massive Willow project, which the new rule does not block.
National environmental groups cheered today’s announcement. The state of Alaska, ConocoPhillips and a North Slope advocacy group called Voice of the Arctic Inupiat has lawsuits underway seeking to overturn the new NPR-A rule.
Liz Ruskin is the Washington, D.C., correspondent at Alaska Public Media. Reach her at lruskin@alaskapublic.org. Read more about Liz here.
